Research Article

The Development of Catholic Social Teaching on Economics: Bernard Lonergan and Benedict XVI

Affected by the Great Depression and the inadequacy of the “simple-minded moralism” of church commentators on economic matters, Bernard Lonergan worked on a macrodynamic economic model in the 1940s and returned to it in the 1970s. The authors here situate Lonergan’s economics in relation to economic theory then and now, as well as within his

Catholic Participation in Needle- and Syringe-Exchange Programs for Injection-Drug Users: An Ethical Analysis

Needle- and syringe-exchange programs aim to decrease infections among those who are dependent on injection drugs. Some have questioned whether church sponsorship of such programs constitutes illicit cooperation in the evil of drug abuse. This article examines the question under classical formulations of cooperation and in light of current empirical evidence and concludes that this

On Ovarian Tissue Transplantation and the Metaphysics of Self-Recognition: A Response to Paul Lauritzen and Andrea Vicini

To resolve questions regarding ovarian tissue transplantation, the author proposes a metaphysical theory positing that the common ensoulment shared by all the cells in a woman’s body is manifested primarily in her immune system’s ability to distinguish her own cells from those of another. The author therefore suggests that human procreation, to be morally licit,

The Irruption of Migrants: Theology of Migration in the 21st Century

Migration, a defining dimension of human history since its very origins, is slowly becoming a significant issue in contemporary theological reflection. Reviewing the theological literature on this phenomenon in the last 30 years, the author reconstructs the recent history of the theology of migration, analyzes its relevance in Latino/a and Asian American theologies in the

What’s the Use of Exclusivism?

The author examines the unique contributions of exclusivism to the Christian theological discussion of religious diversity. Exclusivist theologians develop epistemologically oriented approaches while inclusivist and pluralist theologians tend to work from soteriological orientations. The epistemological orientation leads exclusivists to regard religions as foundational for truth claims and believers as their agents. As such, exclusivists are

The Election of Bishops by Clergy and People: Antonio Rosmini’s Neglected Solution

Nineteenth-century priest, philosopher, and theologian Antonio Rosmini argued that the ordinary way of appointing bishops must be through elections by the local clergy and people. All other procedures, including papal nominations, are extraordinary measures that must be resorted to only as a “lesser evil” when exceptional circumstances prevent carrying out elections. This article recovers and

The Christology in Theodore of Mopsuestia’s Commentary on the Gospel of John

The article derives from Theodore of Mopsuestia’s Commentary on the Gospel of John, wherein Theodore describes how he understood Christ’s two natures being united in “one common proso¯ pon.” He regards proso¯ pon not as a synonym for hypostasis, as the Second Council of Constantinople did, but as the functional union of Christ’s two natures

Quaestio Disputata the Recovery of Aquinas’s Action Theory: A Reply to William Murphy

The article addresses a recent claim regarding Aquinas’s understanding of voluntary human action; namely, that moral species is determined by an object that functions as the proximate end of a chosen behavior. This reply examines the context of the argument, the text on which the argument is said to be based, and Aquinas’s more specific

• Notes on Moral Theology •: Living the Truth: Fundamental Theological Ethics

At the 2009 convention of the Catholic Theological Society of America, the author advocated for a more rhetorically robust and closer-to-the-truth style in theological ethics. In this note, he examines those works that embody that style by capturing the urgency and immediacy of moral truth as lived in the lives of contemporary Christians. In particular,

Scroll to Top